1988 CTG ATTACK ON HASINA RALLY

5 former cops to die

Police take former police officials from Chattogram Division Special Court to jail after the court sentenced the former police officials to death in the case filed over the killing of 24 people who attended Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina’s rally in the port city in 1988. — New Age photo

A Chattogram court has sentenced five former police officials to death in the case filed over the massacre of 24 people who attended Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina’s rally in the port city in 1988, during the regime of army dictator HM Ershad.

Chattogram Division Special Court’s acting Judge Md Ismail Hossain handed down the verdict on Monday afternoon, 32 years after the massacre.

Mostafizur, Pradip, Abdullah and Mamtaj were present at the court while JC Mondal, former patrol inspector of Chattogram Kotwali Police Station, was absconding, said public prosecutor Mesbah Uddin Chowdhury.

The four convicted present were earlier on bail. On January 19, the court rejected their bail and sent them to the jail.

Then Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner Mirza Raqibul Huda and constables Abdus Salam and Bashir Uddin, who were also accused in the charge sheet, died while the case was under way.

PP Mesbah said that 53 witnesses testified in the case. They included former minister, journalists and teachers.

According to the case documents, on January 24, 1988 during the Ershad regime, police opened fire on a procession of the then AL-led alliance near the Laldighi Maidan, its scheduled public meeting venue, killing at least 24 people and injuring over 200 others.

When the procession with a truck carrying AL president Sheikh Hasina reached the old Bangladesh Bank area, police started charging batons and shooting, the prosecution said.

The truck’s helper, Abdul Mannan, was shot dead on the spot, the prosecution added.